Breastfeeding versus formula feeding is a mommy war topic that seems to know no end. However, even doctors are now weighing in, and the suggestions coming from them elevate the conversation to a whole different level.

While all research points to breastfeeding offering the most benefits for both baby and mom, most people agree that choosing formula is a right moms have. However, some in the medical community feel like making it harder for mom to choose formula at all would be a better choice for everyone involved, and that's why certain physicians want to make formula a substance that can only be obtained by prescription.

Of course, when this way of thinking became public, moms had a few things to say about it. Their objections are obvious and range from being infuriated that someone wants to take away their choice to concerned because they couldn't breastfeed successfully before. That's what has made this debate so heated.

Whether or not mom agrees that making formula a by-prescription-only product is a good idea or not, doctors want their reasons for this line of thought known. As opposed to being about taking choice a way from women, they view this approach as making it easier for women to feed, nurture, and balance life with a baby.

In their opinion, making formula harder to obtain could make breastfeeding easier for mom and could change the public perception of nursing. That brings us to the question: are their reasons good enough?

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13 Removes The Promotional Side Of Formula

We are so inundated with advertisements that sometimes we don't know we're being persuaded to think a certain way. One place where this is obvious is in the promotion of formula. Some doctors give away free samples when mom is pregnant, the hospital sometimes sends mom home with formula, and commercials attempt to tout formula feeding as equivalent to breastfeeding.

It's no wonder moms sometimes give up without a fight when it comes to nursing. Formula companies convince them that pouring money into their product is just as good.

Though the emergence of baby friendly hospitals is curbing formula pushing, doctors think an even better way would be to pull the product off of grocery store shelves. Those who create formula just for the cash wouldn't be able to make it in the industry, and mom would hopefully be left with companies who tried desperately to make their formula clean and pure so doctors would want to prescribe it.

12 Women Will Seek Breastfeeding Help Before Giving Up

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Talk to many moms and it's common to hear this comment: "I wanted to breastfeed, but I couldn't." Most moms desire the breastfeeding experience, but when they are at home with an infant who is distraught and can't seem to make nursing happen, formula is a huge temptation. In the midst of postpartum life, many will not reach out for help with nursing problems. They will just reach out for formula.

Moms can end up feeling robbed of the experience they desired, and physicians who advocate for making formula available only by prescription believe that less women would quit if they had to seek help.

Since a woman will have to see a doctor to obtain a prescription for formula, they can talk to the doctor and find out why breastfeeding isn't working. If the problem is fixable, they will walk away nursing again instead of with a prescription, and they may be more satisfied with that result.

11 Encourages Maternity Leave

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Women often report breastfeeding their child until they had to go back to work, at which point they started relying heavily on formula because exclusively breastfeeding became to difficult. This is a valid complaint. Our society is not set up to support breastfeeding moms, but doctors believe that taking formula off the shelves might help change that.

If women must see doctors and obtain a prescription for formula, it shows that breastfeeding is a priority, and our work culture will have to start seeing it that way. Women would need longer maternity leave to establish a strong nursing bond, and there is even the possibility of working remotely while easing back into the job to make sure mom's supply doesn’t fall.

This could also encourage companies to invest in nicer places for women to pump as well as making sure she has time to do so.

10 Formula Is Too Easy To Obtain

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While making formula available at many different locations is convenient, the convenience can be a problem. Because mom can walk into any grocery store and buy formula, not to mention all the free samples sent her way by doctors and formula manufacturers, many moms see using formula as standard practice.

Even moms who are committed to breastfeeding may be tempted by the sheer ease with which they can acquire formula.

Doctors who want to make formula by prescription only believe that making women receive a prescription will also make them think about the ramifications of using formula. Since formula is readily available, many people believe it is perfectly healthy, so they never bother to read the ingredient list.

By making formula harder to receive, doctors hope women will think about why it's only available by prescription—because it's not as good of a choice as breastmilk--and try to keep nursing.

9 Women Will Overcome Breastfeeding Issues

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Mastitis, blocked ducts, low milk supply. There are a plethora of problems that can arise when mom is trying to nurse. Most are painful and all are frustrating, and it's easy for a woman to decide the whole breastfeeding endeavor is more work than it's worth.

However, as bad as it is when mom is in the middle of breastfeeding issues, many can be overcome with some persistence and the help of Google. If the other option is having to request a prescription for formula that needs to be constantly refilled, many women will first try making the lactation cookies, massaging the blocked duct, or any other magic that might get them through the bump in the road.

It's not that breastfeeding is easy; it's just that we are capable of so much more than we ever imagined, and our bodies can overcome most of the obstacles put in our way when it comes to nursing our child.

8 Early Attachment Will Be Prioritized After Birth

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Studies show that the earlier a child latches on, the longer the breastfeeding relationship is likely to last. Plus, the first hour after a baby is born is the best time for them to nurse because they are so aware and alert.

Unfortunately, hospitals sometimes don't prioritize nursing the first hour after birth, instead letting hospital business interfere. If formula became available by prescription only, hospitals would likely prioritize early nursing because if women from their hospital had a harder time nursing, they would be at fault when prescriptions were necessary.

Early attachment, nursing, and bonding are essential for the well-being of the mother and baby, and they can be attained even if mom needs a C-section. Gentle C-section procedures allow women to nurse their children in the OR, and that alone can make a surgical birth more engaging.

Doctors believe prioritizing breastfeeding by taking away the convenience of formula will push doctors and hospitals in the right direction.

7 Women Will Get Educated Before Birth

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Moms-to-be spend tons of time putting items on their registry and having baby showers. These aren't bad activities, but many moms don't actually think about issues like birthing and feeding the baby until late in the pregnancy. This can lead a mom to not be educated enough when the child arrives to know the benefits of breastfeeding and to fight for her opportunity to nurse.

If moms know they have to nurse or seek help to obtain formula, they are likely to get educated early so they will be prepared for the challenges ahead. They may take a birthing or breastfeeding class that explores the benefits of nursing as well as how to make sure it happens right after labor ends. This will help mom plan ahead and help her understand why nursing is important.

With all the facts about how nursing benefits everyone involved, it's impossible to deny that it should be the first choice.

6 Formula Doesn't Meet the Same Nutritional Needs

The very best formula on the market comes nowhere near meeting the high nutritional standards of breast milk. There's no way it can. Breast milk is tailored to a child and changes with their needs. It is also made specifically for each gender, and boys and girls receive different amounts of fat in their breast milk, something that no formula on the market offers.

Children who are breastfed are less likely to suffer from many chronic illnesses, and they are also not as prone to develop food allergies. Breast milk builds a child's immunity, and children who are breastfed also have higher cognitive function than children who are formula fed.

Because physicians would like to see less kids in the doctor's office for asthma, diabetes, and leukemia—all ailments that breast milk lowers the chances of-- they want to make sure the choice to not breastfeed is not an easy way one to make.

5 Children Are Less Likely To Have Chronic Health Issues

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Breastfeeding does protect from chronic illnesses, and many doctors would like to see less children in their offices for many of the issues plaguing them now. Besides lowering the risk of SIDS, breast milk also helps lower the incidences of ear infections, asthma, diabetes, leukemia, high cholesterol, and it can even protect a child from being overweight.

Since children are suffering from so many more chronic conditions, doctors would love a way to decrease these problems, which would get kids off medication and let them lead lives without the side effects of illness. They see breastfeeding as a first step, and anything that encourages breastfeeding is seen as a win to them.

Besides helping baby, women who breastfeed reduce their risk of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. The body was made to do this, and it can reap benefits from following nature's plan.

4 Families Save Money

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Of course, it depends on what kind of formula mom buys since allergen-free specialty formulas cost more, but there is not doubt that parents can save a ton of dough if mom breastfeeds. On average, mom and dad can save around $2000-$3000 in the first year if they stick with breast milk.

Having a baby is expensive, and parents often complain about the financial aspect and how it can even affect their relationship with their spouse. By breastfeeding, mom and dad save their sanity by keeping some cash in their pockets.

Plus, breastfeeding means buying less paraphernalia associated with bottle feeding. While mom will probably still have a few bottles on hand in case someone else feeds the baby her pumped milk, she won't need as many. She also won't need a bottle warmer or to spend money on filtered water to mix with the formula. She will likely need a pump, but many insurance companies are covering the cost of those now.

3 Breastfeeding Is Better For The Environment

Since breastfeeding is a natural process, it's also better for nature. Less plastic bottles and empty formula containers means less waste. Even if empty containers can be recycled, reducing is the most important step in protecting the environment, and the best way to reduce is not to purchase formula at all.

Babies are also not exposed to as many harmful elements, such as BPA, when they are strictly breastfed. Breastfeeding produces less waste, and though mom may have to use freezer bags to store milk, those still won't account for much waste if mom is the one nursing most of the time instead of just pumping.

There are many ways to help the environment, but making sure formula companies produce less of their products, therefore lessening the waste, is one easy way to do it. Plus, if prescriptions were necessary to obtain formula, all of those formula freebie bags given to us by hospitals would disappear, meaning even less waste.

2 Breastfeeding Lowers The Risk Of SIDS

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One of mom's biggest fears the first year of her child's life is sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS). SIDS strikes and usually takes a baby while they sleep, leaving mom and dad wondering what happened. The risk of SIDS is highest the first six months of life, but it is still a risk the entire first year.

Research has found one surefire way to reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%, and that is breastfeeding. By simply nursing a child, mom can rest easier at night knowing she is doing something that is recommended by research and doctors.

The reason breastfeeding works is not fully understood, but many researchers believe it has to do with the immunity it offers babies and the fact that breastfed babies may wake up more often, keeping them from dozing into a sleep that is too deep for them to wake up when there are problems. Breastfed babies are also usually closer to mom at night, room sharing so more sleep can be had by all.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says room sharing is another step in reducing SIDS deaths.

1 This Change Will Normalize Breastfeeding

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Maybe the most important thing that would take place if formula was taken off the shelves is that breastfeeding would be perceived as normal, because it is! Women are still fighting for the right to breastfeed publicly without being harassed and to be given time at work to pump for their children.

In a world where the majority of moms breastfed because they were able to work through problems with professionals and receive much needed support, breastfeeding would be common and acceptable without the current stigma around it.

The goal is not to stigmatize women who formula feed. The ultimate ideal would be to give every woman an opportunity to nurse her child and then offer her formula for assistance if necessary. Women would not have to continue to educate the public on why they breastfeed their child past one or why they need breaks to pump. It would be understood, and this would give women so much support to continue nursing.

Resources: Webmd.com, Healthychildren.org, The Guardian.com, Telegraph.co.uk,